Ok, probably an easy question, but I'm super confused! If I co-sleep with my little one he will sleep 8-9 hours, nurse, sleep 3-4 hours, up for the day. When he sleeps in his crib, he is up every three hours to nurse. So obviously I should just co-sleep but I'm concerned that he needs to nurse and is ignoring the hunger when sleeping next to me. He's 13months, nurses and eats a lot during the day, he's maintaining a good weight (not gaining a ton but he's a big boy and the drs not worried). Am I totally overthinking this? I work super part time so have no problem feeding during the night if he needs it. Any thoughts would be much appreciated! TIA

March 12th, 2014, 09:19 AM

@llli*sonogirl

Re: sleeping long stretches

I think what you do here is entirely up to what works for you! I don't think that an average healthy 13 month old would sleep through any pressing hunger/thirst cues. It might just be coincidence that he nurses a little more when he is in the crib. Or it could just be that he wants to nurse to comfort himself back to sleep, and reconnect with mom in that way, which he might not feel the need to do when he co-sleeps with you. Either way, I think all sounds well!

BTW--those are some awesome stretches of sleep! :)

March 12th, 2014, 12:36 PM

@llli*bfwmomof3

Re: sleeping long stretches

I agree, I don't think it's a problem for a 13 month old who's been gaining well not to nurse at night from a nutritional standpoint. My guess is that he wants to nurse a lot when he's in the crib because he wants to be with you, rather than hunger, and when he's sleeping with you he's content with that. I certainly don't think it would be harmful to co-sleep with him. If you're worried about not nursing him during the night for some reason you can always try latching him on while he's sleeping (personally I would just enjoy the sleep!).

March 12th, 2014, 08:48 PM

@llli*maddieb

Re: sleeping long stretches

Are you sure he's not just sneaking in a little snack while you're sleeping?